What if Walt Disney was the producer of Looney Tunes/Walt Disney Animated Classics/The Lion King II: Simba's Pride
The Lion King II: Simba's Pride is a 1998 American animated romantic comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The film is the sequel to the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King. The film centers around Simba and Nala's daughter, Kiara, who falls in love with Kovu, a male lion who was raised in a pride of Scar's followers and Simba's enemies, the Outsiders. Desperate to be together, they must overcome the two obstacles that are keeping them apart: Kovu's mother, Zira, and Simba's prejudices against the Outsiders. While the original film is based on Roald Dahl's novels Simba the Lion King and Timon and Pumbaa, the film is based on the former novel's sequel Kiara and Kovu. A discussion began about the possibility of a sequel to The Lion King based on Kiara and Kovu before the first film even hit theaters. Most of the original cast reprised their roles from the first film, with the notable exception of Rowan Atkinson, who was replaced by Edward Hibbert as the voice of Zazu in this film. Despite mixed reviews from critics, the film was warmly received by audiences and was a box office success. Plot The film opens a few months after the first film where Rafiki gathers the animals of the Pride Lands together for the presentation of King Simba and Queen Nala's new daughter Kiara. Mufasa's spirit proudly watches over the ceremony. Months later, Simba becomes very overprotective of young Kiara, assigning Zazu to be her babysitter. One day, while he is arguing with a mole, Kiara sneaks into the Outlands where she meets a young cub named Kovu. After escaping a river filled with crocodiles, the two become friends, but Simba and Kovu's mother, Zira, quickly end their playtime. Zira claims that the Pride Lands belonged to Scar, and reminds Simba that he banished the Outsiders, and she reveals that Scar selected Kovu to be his successor despite not being his biological father. Unwilling to harm the cub, Simba orders them to leave and later scolds Kiara for endangering herself. Furthermore, Simba lectures Kiara saying that he wants her to be careful when she is the future queen. In the Outlands, Zira's eldest son, Nuka, complains to his younger sister Vitani about Kovu's status as "the Chosen One". At that moment, Zira returns and rebukes her three children, reminding Kovu that Simba killed Scar and exiled the lionesses who respected him. Kovu explains that he does not think it is so bad to have Kiara as a friend, but then decides that she can use Kovu's new friendship with Kiara to get her revenge against Simba. A few years later, an adolescent Kiara heads out to do her first solo hunt. However, Simba is still worried and fearful of his daughter unprotected and sends Zazu to watch her again, despite promising not to. Furious to find out her father has lied, Kiara decides to hunt away from the Pride Lands, though is still unsuccessful in her efforts. On Zira's orders, Nuka and Vitani set fire to the plains where Kiara is hunting, causing her to faint and giving Kovu the chance to rescue her. Drawn by the smoke, Simba finds them together and reluctantly thanks Kovu for rescuing his daughter and allows him to come to Pride Rock, though he is ordered to sleep outside the den. That same night, Simba has a nightmare about his father's death, only in the dream, Scar morphs into Kovu and throws the panicked and frightened Simba off the cliff. In the morning, he walks outside the den and yawns and stretches and goes to drink at a watering hole where Kovu contemplates attacking him. Kiara interrupts and they go off together so Kovu can help her learn to hunt. During the lesson, they run into Zazu struggling with some meerkats, so the two lions help him chase them off. Together, they have fun playing, something Kovu notes he has never experienced before. That night, Kovu tells Kiara that he is not Scar's real son, but "was a part of him". Simba, who is hesitant to trust the young Outlander around his daughter, seeks guidance from the "Great Kings" and Nala gently advises him to give Kovu a chance. Kovu decides to leave after trying to confess his real intentions, but Rafiki stops and invites the young lions to experience "Upendi" – which means love in Swahili. After a musical journey through the jungle, the two fall deeply in love. Then Simba finally warms up to Kovu and invites him into the den to sleep. Unbeknownst to them, Vitani overhears them and alerts Zira. In the morning, Simba invites Kovu for a walk and tells him the true story of Scar, which Kovu had never heard. However, their walk is interrupted by Zira and her pride. Simba believes that Kovu had set him up and Kovu truthfully claims he had nothing to do with it. After a brief fight, Simba manages to escape by scaling a wall of logs in a gorge. In chasing after him, Nuka slips and is killed by falling logs. Zira blames Kovu for Nuka's death and swipes her claws across his face, leaving a scar across his eye identical to Scar's. Breaking from his mother, Kovu returns to the Pride Lands and begs the king for his forgiveness. Believing Kovu was behind the ambush, the wounded, shortsighted, and distrustful Simba exiles him and strictly orders Kiara to be confined in Pride Rock and forbids her to leave unescorted. Kiara is furious because her father refuses to listen to Kovu. Simba claims that Kovu is following in Scar's paw prints and that himself must following in Mufasa's, unknowingly he defied what his father wanted. Kiara angrily defies Simba, saying, "YOU WILL NEVER BE MUFASA!" horrifying and hurting him. Later that night, Kiara escapes and reunites with Kovu far from home. Meanwhile, Zira leads her pride in a war against the Pride Lands, and a fierce fight breaks out. As Zira and Simba face off, Kovu and Kiara leap between them and Kiara tells her father that the fighting has to stop. She then tells him that the Outsiders are part of the pride, and she and her father peacefully nuzzle and reconcile. Zira refuses to stop fighting, but Vitani agrees with Kiara. Zira tells her daughter that she will die too if she will not fight, which turns the other Outlanders against her and they go to Simba's side. Now alone, Zira leaps for Simba, but Kiara pushes her away and they fall over a cliff. Kiara safely lands on a rock, but Zira is sliding towards a storm-swollen river. Kiara offers to help, but Zira, like Scar, is unable to let go of her hate and falls to her death. Simba helps his daughter back up the cliff and allows the Outsiders, including Kovu, to return to the Pride Lands. Additionally, Kovu marries Kiara before joining her and her parents at the top of Pride Rock. Mufasa's spirit proudly watches over from among the stars and praises his son for his decision. Cast Release Reception Music Songs Soundtrack ''Return to Pride Rock'' "Enhanced soundtrack" Trivia * Due to Joseph Williams's (Simba's singing voice) absence, Cam Clarke was called to record the original song "We Are One". * In France, in the closing credits, it used Tina Turner singing "He Lives in You" and a cover of "Upendi" over it, instead of instrumental music and "Love Will Find a Way". * On the 2-Disc Special Edition DVD, the film is in widescreen, unlike its previous home video releases. Showing more picture on the sides. * The film is similar to The Fox and the Hound. Both protagonists meet friends when they are supposed to be enemies (Copper for Tod, Kovu for Kiara) both protagonists are encouraged to fall in love, and later on they do (Tod and Vixey, Kiara and Kovu) and both antagonists have someone who is a pawn in their plan, but later sacrifice themselves (Chief and Nuka). * Timon, Pumbaa, Tatiana, Sarabi, Janja, Shenzi, Banzai and Ed were supposed to appear in the sequel, but the ideas were dropped. Timon, Pumbaa, Tatiana and Sarabi made a small cameo in the film but Sarabi had no lines, because her voice actress, Madge Sinclair, died before the production of the sequel. However, in the original script, they have an important role. Janja Shenzi, Banzai, and Ed would've been Zira's henchmen, but the producers dropped the idea, when they remember that the four hyenas with the Hyena Clan were the real murderers of Scar. * Matthew Broderick returned to play Simba since 4 years after the 1st Film in 1994. Especially 4 or 5 Months after his role as Dr. Niko "Nick" Tatopoulos in the Live Action 1998 sci-fi Film Godzilla.